Keep Your Friends Close
by Yumiko Shima
Summary: LxLight. Alternate Universe. As the saying goes, keep your friends close...and enemies closer. Now, what if your soul mate is both?


**WARNINGS: Yaoi, murder, sexual references, lame jokes, etc.**

**Disclaimer: Let's assume for a second I actually owned Death Note. And the ENTIRE plot came to me in a dream, polished and ready to go. Now, being the stubborn person I am, I'd change it a bit (A LOT). This would be the product.**

**This got me into Death Note. LxLight, actually, and after hearing a plot summary, I thought it'd be similar to this. After reading the entire manga and seeing almost the entire anime, I return to this ADORABLE idea.**

**And now we present, from the authoress of Kira Kira and Dark (yes, this is my yaoi account, guys)...**

**KEEPYOURFRIENDSCLOSE**

Yagami Light woke up sprawled across the sheets, still fully dressed. He had spent the night studying, as usual. Apparently, Light had been up later than he thought. Even his homework rested abandoned on his desk.

He had had an interesting dream, though.

He had been doing his homework in a black notebook, which was not particularly strange. However, something told him that this was highly significant. But the high school student was too practical to believe in that sort of thing. _Dreams are caused by a few chemicals firing off in your brain. They hold no importance._

Light sat up, smoothing down his ruffled hair. He shuffled downstairs in his socks – at least he hadn't worn his dress shoes to bed.

"Morning, Light," his sister chirped, glancing at the clock. "Wow, you woke up up late! Are you hungover?"

"Of course not, Sayu. I was studying calculus until late." How late, he had no idea.

"Does that mean you got drunk off of math?"

Light blinked at her for a moment before grabbing an apple from the basket on the counter. He turned and started back up the stairs, ignoring the question.

"Oh!" She straightened up. "I almost forgot! Ryuzaki called!"

Light stopped midstep, not turning around. "What did he have to say?"

"He wanted you to meet him at the park. At three. See? Your worries were for nothing!"

"What worries?"

"You said in your journal that you'd like to spend much more time with him, for the rest of your lives! Ooh, does that mean you're in love?"

"W-what?" Light finally spun to face his sister. His heart was working double time to supply his face with way more color than necessary.

"Light and Ryuzaki, sitting in a tree..."

"Hey, that..." Light sighed while his sister's taunting continued. He refused to say anything until he had gotten his embarrassment under control. What did he almost lose his cool for, anyway? He and Ryuzaki hung out in trees a lot.

They did not _kiss_, but...

Sayu, upon noticing that her older brother was not going to respond to her teasing, sighed. "Oh, you're no fun, nii-san!"

Light began to climb the stairs again. "Wait, which park are we meeting at?"

"Uh..."

"I'll call him." Light yawned and stepped heavily up the stairs.

**KEEPYOURENEMIESCLOSER**

"My apologies, Light-kun. I am not free this afternoon," Ryuzaki sighed regretfully, twisting his elbow so that he held minimum contact with the phone.

"Um, my sister said you..." Light sounded half-asleep.

"Yes, and I thought I would be."

"Well... What came up so suddenly?" Light's voice sounded suddenly wide-awake, making Ryuzaki come very close to blinking.

That was exactly the question he been hoping to avoid.

Ryuzaki wished he could confide in Light, truly. But something held him back. Whenever he went to say it, the words refused to come out, and he ended up feeling awkward and out of control. Not that he ever showed it. It seemed more likely that his main fear was of Light thinking he was kidding, or crazy, or all sorts of problems. Ryuzaki didn't know why he cared so much about what someone else thought.

"A family thing," he lied.

"Where did this family come from?"

"Oh, Japan, England...I suspect it has a few roots in Germany, France, Russia, and Italy as well."

"You know what I meant."

"I am sorry, Yagami-kun. I have to go."

There was a sigh on the other end. "Alright."

"Do not sound so disappointed. How would you have spent your day if I hadn't called?"

Light shrugged and flicked on the television in his room. "Looks like L has a new case."

"So I've heard. Call me if you have any interesting theories."

After a brief goodbye, Ryuzaki turned back to the laptop and tapped away furiously. As L, he had to get started on the case. And the fact that he was L was exactly what Light did not know. It was sad, really. Ryuzaki did not have to try and hide it. Light just never considered it.

If they got married, would he tell him? Ryuzaki immediately squashed the thought, returning to work. Now was not the time for emotions, and...and...

**KEEPYOURFRIENDSCLOSE**

The media was not releasing enough information on L's new case. Light's source of entertainment for the afternoon had vanished. With Ryuzaki busy again, he was bored out of his mind. He munched on the apple he had retrieved earlier, spinning from side to side in his computer chair. It was the same old thing, day after day. When he did get to see Ryuzaki, he did not notice the monotony so much. But since his friend had been around less and less,

For now, Light needed something interesting to do. The teen changed his clothes and cleaned his appearence up. He could always go for a walk. It was a pretty day.

Light thought it might be prettier in the park. With Ryuzaki. He did not dwell on the idea, instead heading hurriedly out the door.

A motorcycle was flashing dangerously close. Light had to jump into the bushes to avoid being hit.

The world was pretty rotten. Thank goodness there were people like L around to mop it up a bit.

As he was passing his school, something caught his eye. A black notebook fell from the sky, landing at his feet.

**KEEPYOURENEMIESCLOSER**

Many criminals were dying of heart attacks. It was a week later when L caught on, and three days after that when the world's leaders were called together. L pulled the obvious Lind L. Tailor trick, trapping "Kira," the killer. Tailor died. L did not.

It was times like those that Ryuzaki was glad Light did not know he was L. The younger man would throw a fit if he knew how careless he had been, daring a psychopath to kill him.

He would be even more furious if he knew it was not the first time Ryuzaki had done so.

Considering the scale of the issue, Ryuzaki would normally focus all of his energy into the case.

At the specific moment, he crouched in front of the computer screen, muttering orders to the Japanese police.

"We quit." A few officers were shoving their badges under the Chief's nose. Ryuzaki had known they were weak from the beginning, and he suspected they would not be the last to ditch the job.

Another group of detectives looked uncomfortable for a moment before stepping up and reporting on whatever it was they were supposed to research. Ryuzaki already knew everything they said, and his thoughts turned to Light. When would he see him again?

Wait, wait. No. He had to pay attention in case they said something he did not know.

_Light has been working the case, too. Maybe we can meet and talk about it. I'll go to his house after this meeting and see if he has any interesting theories._

The men were ending their report, making the world's greatest detective kick himself mentally. On the bright side, the meeting was being taped.

If it was being taped...why didn't he just leave now?

**WHATIFYOURSOULMATEISBOTH?**

**A/N: Reviews make the world go 'round. And a lot of good reviews make me write more...**


End file.
